Carter leads NACo focus on human services, education

FORT WORTH, TEXAS – Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter recently joined 2,300 fellow county officials from across the country during the 2013 National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference held in Fort Worth, Texas.

The commissioners convened to establish national policies for counties and to work collaboratively on innovative solutions to the challenges that face American communities.

At the conference Commissioner Carter was appointed to serve as chair of the NACo Steering Committee on Human Services and Education by NACo President, Commissioner Linda Langston of Linn County, Iowa.

"I am thankful for the opportunity to advance policies and partnerships to help counties meet the most pressing needs of people in our communities,” said Carter.

Active in the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) and NACo since her election to the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners in 2005, Carter also serves as 1st Vice President of AMC, and on NACo's Large Urban Counties Caucus, Healthy Counties Advisory Board and Arts and Culture Commission.

Founded in 1935, NACo seeks to improve the public’s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. NACo’s annual conference gathers county officials each year to address a wide range of issues such as health care, support for vulnerable children, seniors and the disabled, transportation and water infrastructure, and court and jail systems. Major issues addressed this year included advancing comprehensive immigration reform, a new campaign to combat human trafficking and protecting the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds which enable state and local governments to more affordably build essential infrastructure projects, such as schools, hospitals and roads. Conference attendees also heard from experts and prominent national speakers throughout the four-day conference, including U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebellius.

Earlier this year Carter participated on NACo's Immigration Task Force to establish principles for comprehensive immigration reform now advancing through Congress.

Also representing Ramsey County at the NACo Annual Conference were Ramsey County Commissioners Victoria Reinhardt and Jim McDonough, appointed to chair the Environment, Energy and Land Use Steering Committee and the Healthy Counties Initiative Advisory Board, respectively.